Combined body bolster center filler and center plate for railway cars

ABSTRACT

A separate cast or forged bowl shaped center plate secured centrally received in the vertical center sill pocket of a freight car body where intersecting the body bolster. Located rigidly, secured, longitudinally displaced within the sill at each opposite end of the center plate is a vertical spacer plate for withstanding the shear and vertical forces service imposed thereat. A separate tie plate horizontally spanning the sill pocket exterior of the center plate and connected to the underedge of each spacer plate provides stiffening reinforcement. By welding the bowl substantially all around to the underedges of the spacer plates and sill wall extents therebetween, maximum inservice load support is provided.

United States Patent Fillion [45] May 23, 1972 1541 COMBINED BODYBOLSTER CENTER 2,162,997 6/1939 Duryea ..l05/226 FILLER AND CENTER PLATEFOR 2,919,660 1/1960 Fillion ..1os/226 RAILWAY CARS PrimaryExaminer-l(enneth H. Betts AttorneyRobert W. Mayer, Thomas P. Hubbard,Jr., Daniel Rubin, Raymond T. Majesko, Roy L. Van Winkle, William E.Johnson, Jr. and Eddie E. Scott ABSTRACT A separate cast or forged bowlshaped center plate secured centrally received in the vertical centersill pocket of a freight car body where intersecting the body bolster.Located rigidly, secured, longitudinally displaced within the sill ateach opposite end of the center plate is a vertical spacer plate forwithstanding the shear and vertical forces service imposed thereat. Aseparate tie plate horizontally spanning the sill pocket exterior of thecenter plate and connected to the underedge of each spacer plateprovides stiffening reinforcement. By welding the bowl substantially allaround to the underedges of the spacer plates and sill wall extentsthercbetween, maximum in-service load support is provided.

1] Chin, ll Drawlng Figures PATENTEDMAY 23 1972 SHEET 2 OF 3 FIG. 7

INVENTOR STANLEY H. F(LL/ON 'FIG.6

ATTORNEY fATENTEQMAY 23 I972 3. 664, 269

SHEET 3 [1F 3 INVENTOR STANLEY H. FILLION COMBINED BODY BOLSTER CENTERFILLER AND CENTER PLATE FOR RAILWAY CARS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1.The field of art to which the invention pertains includes the art ofrailway rolling stock and more specifically to a freight car bodyunderframe for mounting onto the bolster of a supporting truck.

2. It is conventional the the entire freight car weight is carried ontwo circular center plates secured to two body bolsters and which engagetwo mating female bowls on cooperating truck bolsters. As a consequence,the center plates must endure not only the weight of car and loadingdistributed over their engaging surfaces under standing conditions, butalso the shifting concentration and dynamic augment of these loads withassociated wear encountered under rolling in-service conditions. Inaccordance with the prior art a preferred construction has been thecombination of a fabricated or cast steel center filler with or withoutdraft lugs, a through bottom cover plate and a separate center platebolted or welded to the bottom cover plate. This permits easy removal ofthe center late when it has become worn or cracked and over the yearshas been found to provide a center plate life-expectancy of about toyears.

With the recent advent of higher, longer and heavier cars for increasedlading capacity, it has been found that such prior designs have beenunable to withstand the greater load forces imposed thereby. Centerplates under these conditions have been generally characterized byreduced life expectancies on the order of one to two years renderingmaintenance and car down time costs unduly excessive if not prohibitive.One approach to offset the increased failure rate has been a centerplate made integral with the center filler and draft lugs, all of caststeel and either bolted or slot welded to the center sill. While thisconstruction improved the failure rates, wear continued as before andbecause removal of the center filler is difficult, repair on the centerplate has to be conducted without removal from .the car continuing tocomplicate the problems of maintenance. Other approaches have similarlyencountered limitations of either high initial costs, high maintenancecosts or both.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an improved bodybolster center filler-center plate combination for railway freight cars.More specifically, the invention relates to such an improved combination for use with freight cars as to afford substantially greaterstructural capacity more readily able to accommodate higher in-serviceload forces imposed by the larger and heavier car loadings. Theconsequent result of the design of the invention is to decrease previousfailures and afford a life expectancy to the center plate more nearlyapproaching and even equal to optimum life expectancy of the car itself.Not only is the design hereof capable of accommodating the current trendtoward heavier car loading but it achieves the result without resortingto obvious approaches of increased mass or more expensive materialsand/or foundry practices. To the contrary, the instant design achievesgreater load carrying capacity by a material reduction and atsubstantially less cost than would have been reasonably expected whencompared to similar purpose structures of the prior art.

This result is achieved in accordance with the invention by eliminatingthe need for a separate center filler component and mounting the centerplate to the underside of the center sill. By means of vertical spacerand horizontal tie plates in the sill pocket thereat, adequatestructural resistance against shear and vertical forces is provided. Atthe same time when repair of the center plate is required it can beremoved for service remote from the car.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a novel bodybolster center filler-center plate construction for railway cars.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel centerfiller-center plate construction for railway cars having greater loadcarrying capacity than compared to similar purpose units of the priorart.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a centerfiller-center plate construction as in the last mentioned object inwhich the center plate is removable for replacement or repair.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a centerfiller-center plate construction as in the aforesaid objects by a designless costly to produce than the lesser load capacity units of the priorart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevation of a bolsterconstruction containing the invention hereof in a first embodiment shownassembled on a supporting truck bolster;

FIG. 2 is a partial underside plan view of the center plate mounted ontothe center sill of the car body;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation takenin-the bolster directionsubstantially along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation taken substantially along the car centerline 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a topside plan view, partially in section of the center plate;7

FIG. 6 is an elevation in partial section taken substantially alonglines 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevation in partial section taken substantially along thelines 77 of FIG. 5; p

FIG. 8 is a topside sectional plan view of a second invention embodimentin accordance herewith for accommodating draft lugs;

FIG. 9 is a sectional elevation taken substantially along the car centerline 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional elevation taken in the bolster directionsubstantially along the lines 10-10 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 is a sectional elevation taken substantially along the bolstercenter line 1 1-11 of FIG. 8.

Reference for purposes of orientation is first made to FIG. 1 in which abody bolster 9 having side bearing supports 16 and 17 extendstransversely to a car body intersecting the body center sill 10 thereon.Bolster 9 contains center plate 15 and is normally connected via aninterfit with bowl 13 to a truck bolster l1. Avertical king pin 12extending upward from bowl 13 through a bore 14 in center plate 15provides a safety measure against separation in the event of anyvertical displacement in service. Such a connection is conventional inthe industry and will not be further described. Mention herein to top,bottom, underside, topside, horizontal," vertical," etc. will be withregard to the orientation shown and described in connection with FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 24 there is shown a first combination embodimentof center filler-center plate in which use of draft lugs is omitted. Ascan be seen, center sill 10 is conventionally comprised internally incross-section as an inverted U shaped steel-rolled section consisting ofvertical side walls 22 and 23 joined by top wall 24 to define acentrally interior longitudinally extending hollow pocket 25 therein. Atthe underside for increasing strength of the section are apair ofparallel longitudinally extending flanges 20 and 21 laterally integralwith side walls 22 and 23.

To receive center plate 15 there is defined about the geometric centerof bolster 9 a central pocket 30 formed open and exposed at the bottomby parallel spaced apart vertically arranged spacer plates 31 and 32 andthe included portions of sill walls 22 and 23 therebetween. Each spacerplate is complementary to the internal sill cross-section thereat and iscompletely welded about its periphery in a rigid fixed relation to theintersecting surfaces of side wall 22 and 23 and top wall 24. Furthersecuring the spacer plates in the latter relation, for reasons as willbe explained below, are horizontal tie plates 33 and 34 each extendinglaterally across pocket 25 adjacently outward of pocket 30. The tieplates are arranged with their undersurface between and substantiallyco-planar with the undersurface of side flanges 20 and 21 and aresecured welded on three sides to the contiguous surfaces of sill wallsand spacer plate thereat. By this means a completely rigid joint isformed at the intersection of the tie plate to the lower end of thespacer plate.

Center plate 15 hereof, generally comprising a bowllike configuration ismost clearly shown in FIGS. -7. The center plate comprises a lower capsection 35 of generally circular extent and of a diameter greater thanthe internal clearance dimensions of pocket 30. Communicating integralwith the cap is an upper webbed section 36 of dimension able to bereceived within pocket 30. Centrally located in cap 35 is a recess 39communicating with bore 14 formed in an upstanding hub 40 and throughwhich a truck bolster king or center pin 12 is received as describedabove in connection with FIG. 1. Bevel flats 37, at the under oppositecorner edges of cap 35, provide line instead of point contact againsttruck bowl 13 during dynamic in-service oscillation therebetween.

The topmost portion of cap section 35 is represented by four cornerpositioning pads 41 each having a finished horizontally extendingsurface and connecting with intermediate bevelled welding surfaces 42.Upper section 36 includes a thin encircling web 44 which extendsintegrally upward from the plane of pads 41 and slopes approximately 3inward to permit easy insertion within fill pocket Providing additionalreinforcement to central hub 40, are a plurality of web flanges 43extending radially to merging with each of the enclosing side walls ofweb 44. Center plate in its entirety is preformed of cast steel or thelike without the necessity of hot pressing and by virtue of its size canbe easily handled for purposes of finish machining and/or heat treatmentif desired.

Assembly of the center plate into pocket 30 is by first placingpositioning pads 41 against the exposed surface edges of sill and spacerplates and then butt welding around at 45 between surface 42 andadjacent sill or spacer edges thereat. When so secured, the side weldsact in forming a secured and completely boxed structure with centerplate 15 closing off the pocket bottom. At the same time, spacer plates31 and 32 welded on three sides to the sill walls thereat become weldedon their fourth side to center plate 15. In this relation the uprightspacer plates are ideally secured for resistance againstparallelogramming of the sill during rock and roll of the moving car. Bybeing so secured, the spacer plates act as a virtually perfect bolstershear transfer device while also serving as vertical load support.Should the center plate require maintenance by virtue of either failureor wear it can similarly be removed without disturbing the balance ofthe structure.

Referring now to FIGS. 8-11, there is shown a second embodiment inaccordance herewith modified to accommodate draft lugs as when thecenter pin to face of rear draft lug distance is on the order of lessthan about 27-30 inches. This embodiment therefore includes the samecenter plate 15 assembled into pocket 30 in a similar manner as aboveand is otherwise modified only to accommodate a pair of draft lugsdesignated 53 and 54.

Each lug comprises a relatively wedge-shaped composite perforatedcasting of numerous slots 58 and extending in a direction of the centerline of car from the larger lug face end 55 to its opposite terminal end56 located just beyond the bolster center line. Spacer plate 31 is copedat 57 to fit the lugs for welding therebetween. In addition, each lug iswelded top, side and along the periphery of slots 58 to sill top wall24, and side walls 22 or 23 thereat. By this means, should the draftlugs incur overload resulting in some yielding of the attachment welds,the affected spacer plate still has sufficient flexibility to yieldlongitudinally without distress. At the same time, since plate 31 issecured on all sides, the draft load is divided between side and topflanges of the sill.

By the above description there has been disclosed a novel combination ofcenter filler and center plate for freight cars having increasedcapacity to withstand greater carloads without failure than heretofore.In accordance herewith, the center plate is initially produced as aseparate component affording greater versatility with respect to thelatter as for heat treating, machining, or the like if desired. In eventof wear or failure, the center plate can be readily removed formaintenance without the expensive down time as has been associated withintegral center plate-center fillers of the prior art. Not only is theconstruction hereof relatively simple as compared to prior art devicesdespite its relatively increased load carrying capacity, but by virtueof such simplicity, materials and labor for fabrication is significantlyreduced resulting in substantial cost savings of manufacture. Whereasthe invention has been principally described in connection with freightcars, it obviously could be employed if desired in passenger cars or thelike.

Since many changes could be made in the above construction, and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the drawings and specification shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A body bolster center filler-center plate assembly for a railway carcomprising in combination:

a. a center sill having walls contiguously arranged generally U-shapedin cross-section and forming a centrally open interior;

b. a body bolster of longitudinal extent having a centrally definedlaterally extending opening receiving said center sill intersectingtherewith;

. spacer plates longitudinally spaced apart secured within said sillinterior to the walls thereof, at least one of said plates being locatedon each side of the center of intersection between said bolster andsill;

. said spacer plates and portion of sill side walls includedtherebetween defining a generally rectangular bottomopen pocket in whichto receive a center plate;

. a center plate having a first portion of exterior dimension greaterthan said pocket for extending outward of the underside thereof andconnecting with a second portion of reduced exterior dimension receivedwithin said pocket; and means securing said center plate to theunderedge of said pocket walls forming a fixed rigid structure thereat,said center plate being detachable upon removal of said means.

2. A center filler-center plate assembly as in claim 1 in which saidcenter sill also includes laterally outward flanges integrally extendinglongitudinally along the underside thereof.

3. A center filler-center plate assembly as in claim 1 includinghorizontal tie plates adjacently exterior of said defined pocket securedto the sill side wall and spacer plate thereat.

4. A center filler-center plate assembly as in claim 3 in which saidpocket is generally square and said center plate is secured welded tothe underedges of said pocket walls.

5. A center filler-center plate assembly as in claim 4 in which saidcenter plate includes a centrally hollow upstanding hub to receive aking pin from a truck bolster on which it is to be supported.

6. A center filler-center plate assembly as in claim 1 including draftlug means secured interior of said sill in the vicinity of said pocketand extending in a direction generally parallel to the center line ofsaid sill.

7. A center filler-center plate assembly as in claim 6 in which saiddraft lug means includes a pair of draft lugs with one of said pairsecured to one sill wall and the other of said pair secured to the otheropposite sill wall.

8. A center filler-center plate assembly as in claim 7 in which at leastone spacer plate is coped for a draft lug to extend into said pocket.

11. A center filler-center plate assembly as in claim 10 in which thefixed connection between said draft lugs, said one spacer plate and saidsill transmit draft forces imposed against said lugs divided between thetop and side walls of said sill.

1. A body bolster center filler-center plate assembly for a railway carcomprising in combination: a. a center sill having walls contiguouslyarranged generally Ushaped in cross-section and forming a centrally openinterior; b. a body bolster of longitudinal extent having a centrallydefined laterally extending opening receiving said center sillintersecting therewith; c. spacer plates longitudinally spaced apartsecured within said sill interior to the walls thereof, at least one ofsaid plates being located on each side of the center of intersectionbetween said bolster and sill; d. said spacer plates and portion of sillside walls included therebetween defining a generally rectangularbottom-open pocket in which to receive a center plate; e. a center platehaving a first portion of exterior dimension greater than said pocketfor extending outward of the underside thereof and connecting with asecoNd portion of reduced exterior dimension received within saidpocket; and f. means securing said center plate to the underedge of saidpocket walls forming a fixed rigid structure thereat, said center platebeing detachable upon removal of said means.
 2. A center filler-centerplate assembly as in claim 1 in which said center sill also includeslaterally outward flanges integrally extending longitudinally along theunderside thereof.
 3. A center filler-center plate assembly as in claim1 including horizontal tie plates adjacently exterior of said definedpocket secured to the sill side wall and spacer plate thereat.
 4. Acenter filler-center plate assembly as in claim 3 in which said pocketis generally square and said center plate is secured welded to theunderedges of said pocket walls.
 5. A center filler-center plateassembly as in claim 4 in which said center plate includes a centrallyhollow upstanding hub to receive a king pin from a truck bolster onwhich it is to be supported.
 6. A center filler-center plate assembly asin claim 1 including draft lug means secured interior of said sill inthe vicinity of said pocket and extending in a direction generallyparallel to the center line of said sill.
 7. A center filler-centerplate assembly as in claim 6 in which said draft lug means includes apair of draft lugs with one of said pair secured to one sill wall andthe other of said pair secured to the other opposite sill wall.
 8. Acenter filler-center plate assembly as in claim 7 in which at least onespacer plate is coped for a draft lug to extend into said pocket.
 9. Acenter filler-center plate assembly as in claim 8 in which said onespacer plate is coped at opposite edges for both draft lugs to extendinto said pocket.
 10. A center filler-center plate assembly as in claim9 in which said draft lugs are fixedly secured to said one spacer plateat the coped portions thereof.
 11. A center filler-center plate assemblyas in claim 10 in which the fixed connection between said draft lugs,said one spacer plate and said sill transmit draft forces imposedagainst said lugs divided between the top and side walls of said sill.